Advertising device



June 20, 1950 H. J. MooRHoUsE 2,512,465

ADVERTISING DEVICE INVENTOR HQnrD/'mes oorhouse MM40? T/WW/l/ RNEYS June 20, 1950 H. J. MOORHOUSE ADVERTISING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1, 1946 INVENTOR Patented June 20, 1950 1.;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADVERTISING DEVICE n Henry J amesMoorhouse, Superior, Application October 1, 1946, Serial No. 700,483 a claims. (c1. 3125-125) I' A This invention relates to an advertising de- Il vice and more particularly to a movable display device for advertising and sales purposes.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of an advertising device which is.

adapted to hold a plurality of articles for display, and which displays them one at a time.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an advertising device which is adapted to display a plurality of articles by rotating each.-

of said articles to expose its several sidesto view.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an advertising device for the display of a plurality of articles, each article being diS- played separately from the rest, the 'display device being provided with a screen behind which the different articles are moved in order to bring them into display position, one at a time. In other Words in this device the apparatus` and means by which the several articles are moved from a hidden position to a display position are at no time disclosed to the audience.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an advertising device in which the several articles on display are moved intoand out of display position by means of a movement of revolution, and in which each of the articles on display is caused to engage in movement of rotation to display its several sides to the public View.

These and other objects are attainedby the mechanism shown on the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section therethrough;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing the means by which the display device causes articles on display to engage in movement of revolution;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section-showing the locking mechanism by which movement of revolution is prevented at predetermined time intervals;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section substantially similar to that of Fig. 2 showing the screen behind whichthemovement of revolution takes place moving into screening position.

The advertising device herein claimed is proka speed reducing gear box I6 to drive the mechanism hereinafter described. A shaft I8 is connected to thegear box I6 and to a bearing I1 in ceiling I3. Ceiling I9 is situated immediately 1 below the roof or cover I 2, and it isprovided with an opening 2l) for electric light bulb 2I affixed to the roof I2. It is through this opening that light from bulb 2| is enabled to reach and flood conventional equipment.

I8 is a double gear wheel 30, this gear wheel being the articles on display.

Fixedly -mounted to shaft I8 'at the 'bottom thereof is a screen supporting disc 25, said disc supporting screen *2Bas shown -in Fig. 1.l yIt will be noted in Fig-2 that,l the screen extends about one-sixth of the way around .the cylindrical or substantially cylindrical walll IIand that it is curved in conformity with said wall. Since disc 25 -is ailxed to shaft I8,vsaid disc will rotate with said shaft and since screenv 26` is affixed to said disc, said screen will accompany said disc in its rotary movement. The screen of course engages in movement of revolution. `A preferred speed is approximately two revolutions per minute. The speed is controlled by the gear ratios in the gear box I B. No particular showing is made of the gears within this box for thereasonthat it is Also affixed to shaft positioned immediately above disc 25. Sincethis double gear wheel which may just as Well be a pairvof gear wheels is aflixed to the shaft I8, rotation of said shaft causes corresponding rotation of said gear wheel.

` Rotatably mounted above said gear wheel is a ysecond disc 32. This disc maybe considered to be the floor of the display device, since it is on this disc'that the articles are placed for display purposes. Another disc 33 is rotatably mounted on shaft I8 a pre-determined distance above floor disc 32. Partitions 34 are vertically and radially disposed between said discs 32 and 33, and they areaxed to said discs by means of bolts 35. These bolts hold the entire assembly comprising discs 32 and 33 and partitions r311 together.

Reference to Fig. 1 shows that these partitions areprovided with reiiecting surfaces. Reference to Fig. 2 will disclose that these partitions number six in the preferred embodiment, and that theyv `are arranged radially at yequal .distances from each other. Triangular shapedv compartments therefore are provided between adjacent .partitions 34 for the reception of articles to be displayed. 'A small disc-shaped platform 5l) is rotatably mounted on the disc 32 ineach of said compartments.` Aixed to three-of these rotatably mounted discs, to wit, 50a, 50h and 50c are gear wheels 5I. And afiixed to the last three of these rotatably; mounted discs,y to wit,v 50d, 50e

'oppositio'n of carri 15.

It will hereinafter be shown that the floor disc Y 32 engages in intermittent angular movement.' Since the platform discs 5U are mounted. onfloor disc 32 they, too, will engage in .intermittent an- I gular movement at the same time thatthe'y 'engage in constant uniform rotational'movement.v

An article mounted on one of the platform discs 5U will rotate with that disc on the vdiscsown axis. And it will alsmove in a circular movementfaroun'd the shaft 1I81whenfthe'iplatformldiscs I at its front end. This rampisadaptd to en- 'gage the Ipinl) whenthe disc' '25 bringsTsaid-sha'ft 1 around tothe-place .where said ram-p is located. -vvh'en the/ramp' 'engages theipingitdoesfsc against 4the actioniofspring 6I and'it moves 'saidiipin upfkwardlyuntil itiengagsia downvvardlyfext'ending prb'ximateiy one-sixth of fthe; circumference of "65 on ftheoordiscf' s uch engagement -will'lre finain'tained "for` a distancefof apprbximatelybne- @sixth of said circumference. so th'at as the'clis'c "325 rotateslat the rate' of two-revolutions 'per fmin- -arouncl-siem:v la for .tt-distance corresponding-to the vangular' width of ea'fch'ofthe compartmentsi vrerum-.dby the partitions et. this marmer 'three minutes. l I

'mechan'i'smvis'provided whereby the essern- "bly 32534 and -33'may be lockedfintxediposition betwfenpthe ihterniittlt angiilar mvemehts above described. `"I'hisloclring mechanism isbest "shown in Figs;v 4 and 5. It comprises acarifI -1Il affixed to the-'shaft' 'l s, said Icam beingadapted 't0-engagea Afeuer 1| on nerizcntaijenaft-1'2 against the `action of vcompression spring lgen said shaft. ,The shaft 12' is carriedbybearings L'14' and V15 which are aiixed tothe discIlVAtth'e "Tree end of -the shaft 12l is a downwardly extendfingv mllbrcif prjctr'ilft will be no'te'ih 65V drawing, a greater or a lesser number may be ""Figfthat disc 3'3 is provided'alofng -its t'circiimferenti'al ed'g'e with cuteouts or notches '11. More particularly lit is provided with# six riotclies''farranged"equi'distant-1ronl1each other. Theprozo formed by the partitions 34.

30.VA mentdn 'exposed position.

is in engagement with one of the notches 11. When the cam 10 acts upon the shaft 12 however the projection 16 is caused to disengage the notch 11 in question. The cam 10 is aiixed on shaft I8 5 to synchronize its camming action with the engagement of pin 6B with lug 65 previously discussed. That is the locking mechanism shown in Fig. 5 is in locking engagement with the disc 33 at all times exceptwhen the pin 60 is in en- 10i 'gagemtent'lwith the lug. At such time the cam `1 disengages the locking mechanism'from the disc 33 and permits said disc to engage in angu- "lar movement in response to the action of pin 50 1 and upon the lug 65.

16 Thefront of the device hereinabove described `VAi`s"'o'1': enat B0. *The opening extends about onesixth-of theway around the circumference of the devicev and in that respect it corresponds to the dimensions of the screen 26 and compartments Only one compart- 4`menti-isexposed:to view at any.. one .time through "theopeningfd lEachcompartment is thus exposed-flesstthan.thirty seconds at anyone time. 'At the" endr'hf-zthe' exposure-period, the screen 2li 1251 movesy into 'positionza'cross the .opening 80 carrying with-it thenext compartment to be exhibited. As .the scre'enfpasses on, the pin 5B' will' drop off `th'eframp 62 todisc'onnect the pin from contact with :theflug B5, leaving the thus moved compart- At the same time, the cam 10 has turned ther projection I6 to lock the compartment in this position. The screen'now moves-away from .the opening 80,= `and that Vsecond l compartment isznow iexposedto'view through said 35 'opening' 18H. f E'ach'of said compartments -is pro- '.vid'ed'withan opening B0 in the disc 33. said opening' 90 `being adapted to register with the opening when thecompartmentin which it is situated :iis broughtltoathe fronteof 'the advertising device Yftwzand is .exposed to View. Thus it is that each time ai''compartment is 'exposed to view it is flooded `@vvith.th'e'lightfrom 'the light bulb 2l. This feature takentogetherl with lthe fact that each compartmentis'. provided with a pair of reilecting surii5'ffaces`4lldisposedatanV acuteangle to each other,

`makes for a Ivery `'striking"display construction for Imany types of article. Especially is this the case -rwhen it isf-remembered ythat the article on view rotates continually while in view.

lA4 '.'Itl willi be' appre'ciatedV that what `has :above been described is but a preferred embodiment of "thisinventi'on and thatfvariations and modiiications `maybe Vincorporated therein without departing from the basic principles of the invention. For example all six platform discs 56 are other'three will remain stationary with respect to thediscn32. Another illustration of a modi- 'iication r.in this device may be found in varyingr 'the number of Ycompartments into which the device is divided. Although six are shown in the 1. An advertising device comprising a housing having a. lateral opening, a rotatable disc .SCOIGS adapted tbl'enter notches'-`I1-when 70 mounted within said housing and having a shaft`12-isfdisengaged by the cam TD. and'spring 1a-=isipermitted te act upon shaft fizrwitnoui; the

The normal posiucuffef shaft 12 therefore vis 'screen vertically connected to the edge thereof 'within and adjacent the walls of the housing, said screen adapted to intermittently close said open- "ing as the 'disc is moved, a compartmented dis- 75 `play-devicerotatably disposed withinthe housing above said disc, latch rmeans on the disc movably to engage said device and normally out of engagement therewith, a cam means in the housing adjacent the lateral opening and adapted to engage said latch means as the disc is rotated to lift said latch means into engagement with said device to cause a predetermined rotation of said device, said device being provided with a plurality of smaller discs disposed in the compartments and means for causing rotation of said smaller discs independently of the rotation of the display device.

2. An advertising device comprising a housing having a, lateral display opening, a rotatable disc in the housing, a screen supported on said disc in a plane [close and parallel to the wall of the housing, a rotatable shaft connected to said disc to rotate the same, a compartmented display device rotatably disposed around said shaft above said disc, a movable latch pin on the disc adapted to be moved into engagement with said display device, a cam means Within the housing adjacent the opening therein to engage the latch pin and move it into engagement Iwith the display device whereby the display device is rotated a predetermined distance when the screen is moved across said opening, cam means on said shaft, and a latch member mounted on the housing and operatively associated with said cam and normally adapted to engage the display device to hold it stationary, said cam operating said latch member to release the device just prior to the engagement of the latch pin with the display device to move the same.

3. An advertising device comprising a housing having a lateral display opening, a disc disposed horizontally within the housing below said opening, a rotatable shaft connected to said disc and extending vertically upward through the housing, a [compartmented display device rotatably 6 disposed around said shaft, a screen connected to the periphery of said disc and extending vertically parallel to the Wall of the housing, said screen adapted to be moved periodically past said display opening, a latch pin on the disc adjacent the forwardv edge of the screen and adapted to be moved upwardly to engage this display device, a cam means in the form oi a ramp disposed in the housing below the display opening to move the latch pin into engagement with the display device, a earn on the upper end of the rotatable shaft, a latch shaft mounted on the housing and engageable with said loam, a latch element on the end of said shaft normally adapted to engage said display device to hold said device stationary, said Icam operatively arranged to release said latch element from engagement with the display device just prior to the engagement with said device of the latch pin whereby said display device can be moved a predetermined distance as the screen passes the display opening.

HENRY JAMES MOORI-IOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS' Number Name Date 1,515,443 Redinger Nov. 11, 1924 1,656,527 Messinger et al. Jan. 17, 1928 2,068,414 Johnson Jan. 19, 1937 2,145,599 Haumann Jan. 31, 1939 2,194,238 Weaver Mar. 19, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number n Country Date 400,465 Great Britain Oct. 26, 1933 

